The Pope's Encyclical is Out, and so is the Verdict on 2015's Climate so Far: Warmest on Record

As heated debate swirled around Pope Francis's call today for action on climate change, new data on Earth's climate were released. The verdict: record warmth. Earth just experienced its warmest March through May on record, according to the the data released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The year-to-date was also the warmest January through May period on record. And so was the month of May itself. NOAA's assessment of the climate in May differs slightly